


Love From Beyond

by Ongaku_Ato_Kakikomi



Category: Heathers (1988)
Genre: College AU, F/F, F/M, ghost au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:54:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21981262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ongaku_Ato_Kakikomi/pseuds/Ongaku_Ato_Kakikomi
Summary: At the beginning of your second year of college, your parents choose a roommate for you to share your lonely apartment, a young girl named Veronica Sawyer. Little problem, you can see ghosts, and the girl seems to be attached to four of them. Pretty hard to act like you can't see them when they're now all cluttered in your life, is it?(The story is also on my Tumblr account under the name of 'Ghost Love')
Relationships: Jason "J. D." Dean/Veronica Sawyer, Jason "J.D." Dean/Reader, Jason "J.D." Dean/Reader/Veronica Sawyer, Jason Dean/Reader, Jason Dean/Reader/Veronica Sawyer, Jason Dean/Veronica Sawyer, Veronica Sawyer/Reader, Veronica Sawyer/Reader/Jason "J.D." Dean, Veronica Sawyer/Reader/Jason Dean
Comments: 29
Kudos: 205





	1. New Roomate(s)

You run fast through the empty hallways, your breathing getting heavier as you keep throwing open different doors on your way. You hear him laugh, the sound echoing all around you and making your heart twist in panic, but you just keep going. You’ve gotta keep going.

If you stop, you’re dead.

“ _ **(Y/N)… Stop running, will ya?**_ ” You feel your teeth grind and you somehow speed up. “ _ **Awn, come on, babe! I’m getting tired of this 'playing hard to get' thing…**_ ”

You scream when you trip over something and fall unto the ground. You try to get up and continue your run when a foot forces you to stay on the ground. Your breath gets stuck in your throat and you turn your head to see a girl’s empty eyes staring back at you, her purple and broken neck screaming that this is your fault.

You feel your eyes watered at the sight. “ _Ronnie…_ ”

A small light passes through her pupils when you mention her nickname, but it soon disappears to let the emptiness settle in. You know that she would never hurt you, she loves you too much too ever do that. **It’s him**. It’s him who’s controlling her. _Him_ who’s saying that you two were meant to be one.

“ _ **Aah, thank you, darling.**_ ” You tense up when you hear his voice right beside yours, Veronica putting her foot away soon after. “ _ **Chasing her around isn’t as fun as we thought it would be, is it?**_ ”

You close your eyes when the coldness hit your skin, his presence lingering over you as he takes a hold of your hair.

“ _ **It always feels like she’s**_ _just_ _ **out of our grip.**_ ” He forces you to look up at him, your face wincing in pain as he does so, and his grin stretches out when he sees your (e/c) eyes. “ _ **But not anymore.**_ ”

His only brown eye stares at you in adoration, while his complete white tries to engulf you. You almost give out a grimace when his bloody hand cups your cheek, his head tilting a little.

“ _ **Aren’t you tired of running, honey?**_ ”

You give Veronica another look, but her stare stays empty. You can’t help the tears to fall, hating that he uses his fingers to wipe them away.

“ _ **Awn, darling… you must be really tired for you to cry like this…**_ ”

You try to shake your head to answer him, but his grip on your head stops you from doing so.

“ _Jason…_ ”

You don’t like how his smile gets wider when you say his name.

“ _ **I love when you say my name, darling.**_ ” He gets closer, your body shivering from the cold. “ _ **Let’s make you one of us now, hm? So we can be together forever.**_ ”

You wish you could run away when he crashes his lips unto yours, feeling your energy getting sucked away from you, but his control over you is too strong for you to even try.

It only takes a few seconds before the darkness engulfs you.

_**S I X M O N T H S A G O** _

You’re sitting at the kitchen table of your soon to be shared apartment, sorting some papers while you wait for your new roommate to arrive. You don’t know much about her. The only thing you know is that she was looking for a well-protected place and that her name is Veronica Sawyer. You’re guessing that maybe you should have made more research on her, but it’s your parents who carefully looked through the applications. And so if they settled on her, you have no choice but to think that she’s safe to hang out with.

“ _Boo!_ ”

You jump up when a grayish boy’s head suddenly pops up from the table, the child instantly laughing at your reaction. You glare at him from your place, a hand on your chest to ease your breathing.

“Andrew!” His echoing laugh only seems to increase when you say his name. “When will you stop scaring me like that?”

“ _Never! It’s so fun!_ ” He gets out of the table and puts his arms on it to watch you sort your papers, water dripping on the floor beside him. “ _What you’re doing, though, seems very boring._ ”

“Yeah, well, it has to be done.”

“ _I hate that you’re an adult now._ ” You look back at him to see him pout. “ _We used to play all the time!_ ”

You chuckle and shuffle his wet hair, some of the water dripping on the papers before dissolving.

“I’m not ten anymore, Andrew. I can’t just go run around playing with my ghost friend without raising any suspicion.”

“ _Well, it sucks._ ”

You gasp. “Your language!”

“ _Hey, I might look like I’m ten, but I’m nineteen in my head, okay?_ ” You just chuckle again, shaking your head at him. “ _Don’t you have this new roommate coming today?_ ”

“Yep.”

“ _Why?_ ” He scrunches up his nose in disgust. “ _I thought you were fine living alone in here._ ”

“My parents have apparently difficulties to pay for everything.” You finish sorting the paper, putting away in different boxes on the table. “I did say I could find a job and _actually_ pay for it myself, but you know what they say-”

“ _Wait, wait, wait, let me guess._ ” He takes a breath in, then uses a weird voice. “ _Taking a job? Oh, but honey, what if you come back home late at night and something bad happens to you?_ ”

You snort. “You make a great impression of my mom.”

“ _Of course I do._ ” He rolls his eyes, then sighs. “ _I hate this roommate thing. I won’t be able to talk to you as much!_ ”

“You can always come to talk to me when I’m in my room, you know? Or when I’m walking to school _._ ”

“ _It’s not the same-_ ”

He cuts himself off, his mood shifting to a panic one. You quirk an eyebrow at that, not sure of what is happening.

“Andrew?”

“ _Ghosts are coming._ ” Your eyes go wide at his words. “ _Four precisely. I think they’re following your new roommate._ ”

“What-”

“ _I need to go._ ” He starts to disappear into the floor, the little boy sending you a worried look before he’s completely gone. “ _Be careful._ ”

Just as he says this, two young adults only wearing their underwear walk through the walls of your apartment, their eyes glistening over the space. You just have time to notice the gunshots in their neck and torso before you have to look away, not wanting them to know that you can actually see them. One of them gasps when he sees you, the two of them soon starting to chuckle happily among themselves.

“ _Yo, Kurt! We’re gonna live with a hot chick!_ ”

“ _Yeeeees! I can’t wait to see her in the shower!_ ”

You almost flinch at their words, feeling purely disgusted by them. You didn’t like that your new roommate has ghosts bounding to her, nor that she actually has four of them, but you think what you dislike the most is that two of them seem to be complete assholes who only thinks about sex. What did Veronica get into to have these two follow her around?

Your thoughts are interrupted by a young blond woman following suit, making the two boys shut up in complete silence. From the corner of your eyes, you can see her wearing a red dressing gown, her skin letting out a blue glow while a liquid of the same color drips from her mouth. She squints her eyes at every single square of space around her, then scoffs.

“ _Well, it’s not horrible, I guess._ ”

Two horny assholes and one bitch as ghosts? You hope Veronica can’t see them, or else you really pity the girl.

Just as you’re thinking that, someone rings the doorbell, and you have no choice but to stand up and walk towards the entrance of the apartment. You try your best to not cringe when you pass the two assumed jocks that are snickering, the blond simply eying you on your way before she goes to sit down on the sofa. You take a breath in, feeling actually a little stressed to meet this Veronica you’re supposed to live with, then open the door.

In a few seconds, your brain registers a lot of things.

First, a girl is standing in front of you with slightly shy brown eyes staring back at you and black puffy hair ending at her shoulders. She’s wearing a black skirt and a gray vest patched together with different fabrics, also holding a huge box in her arms.

Second, a ghost is standing behind her, a young man with a complete white-eye and splashes of blood on his left side. A shiver of coldness goes down your spine when his only brown eye looks into your (e/c) ones, but you manage to look at him for only a second before you smile at the girl.

“Hey, there! You must be Veronica, right?”

Her smile seems to relax at your positive greeting. “Yeah, it’s me. You’re the one I’m going to live with, right?”

“The one and only!” You giggle, then shake your head. “Sorry, I should introduce myself. I’m (Y/N), it’s nice to finally meet you.”

Her smile widens as you slightly step away to let her enter the place, closing the door after her and the last ghost finally enter. The young man seems to not really care about what’s happening since he instantly goes to a corner to stand in silence.

“So, as you can see, this is the kitchen and the living room.”

Veronica hums before she watches you point at a random door.

“The bathroom is right over there and-” You walk into a small hallway, pointing at a door on your left. “-if you’re ever looking for me and I’m nowhere to be seen, this is my bedroom.”

You turn around to open another door, giving Veronica a smile.

“And finally, this is your room.” The black-haired girl smile at you before entering the space, putting down the box on the bed while you wait in the entrance. “Honestly, I’m glad you’re here. Living alone can get pretty lonely sometimes.”

She chuckles, putting the box on her bed. “Well, I hope you won’t get tired of me.”

“What? Nonsense. You seem like an amazing person.” She gives you a shy smile, her eyes a little sad by your words, and you decide to point at her box. “Is that all you have?”

“Oh, no.” She snorts, shaking her head. “I have a couple more in my car.”

“Alright, let’s go!”

You’re already walking towards the entrance of the apartment, putting on your shoes when Veronica arrives with a weird expression.

“You don’t have to help me, you know? It’s only three boxes.”

“And make you go back and forth three times?” You look up at her to grin, ignoring the blond ghost in the corner of your vision. “What kind of roommate would I be?”

Her smile stretches out just as you put on your autumn coat, the apartment keys in your hand.

* * *

Turns out Veronica had more than three boxes. _Way_ more. She lied because she felt bad that you felt like you needed to help her, which you found kind of cute. You reassured her a lot of times though, telling her that you were glad to help her in any kind of way. Also, it gave you an excuse to learn more about her. You loved how she seemed a little embarrassed, her cheeks getting a little red. In the end, the two of you laughed a lot through the round trips, especially when you accidentally crashed into the door at one point. But now, you’re staying in her room, helping her put away her stuff while you two eat pizza you’ve ordered earlier…

… and trying to ignore the fact that one of the ghosts is in the room with you.

“So…” You finish taking a bite of your pizza, giving Veronica a grin. “What are you gonna study in?”

“English Literature…” She looks down at her pizza, tensing up when she feels the boy with the white eye staring at her. “I wanna be a writer.”

“That’s amazing!” She gives out a small smile at your excitement. “I hope you’ll manage to get there.”

“Thanks.”

“ _Ronnie…_ ” You both tense up upon hearing the boy’s voice, and you try your best not to stare when he gets closer to her. “ _I don’t like her._ ”

Well, you never like it when people hate you without any reason, let alone ghosts.

“Em…” Veronica gulps before smiling awkwardly. “What about you? What are you studying in?”

“Psychology.” You take another bite, waiting to gulp it before talking again. “I like to understand people, and help them understand themselves.”

You also think the reason why you see ghosts can be found in this particular field.

“That’s… great.” She giggles in embarrassment. “Sorry, I just didn’t see you do that, somehow.”

Your smile stretches out. “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me.”

“ _Tell her to go._ ” The ghost stares more deeply at Veronica’s face. “ _ **Now.**_ ”

“Hey, you must be exhausted.” You close the pizza box, giving your new roommate a smile. “And it’s kinda late… so how about I let you settle in a little? I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

“Oh, um…” She seems to relax, probably relieved that she didn’t have to tell you to leave in order to not enrage a ghost that is attached to her. “Yeah… thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You give her a last look before closing her door. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight!”

When you turn around, you have to try your best to not react at how close the girl ghost is to you, her eyes squinting at you.

“ _Is JD still bothering her?_ ”

At first, you think she’s talking to you, then you realize that she’s just mumbling to herself… and so you manage to walk past her and towards your bedroom.

One of the ghosts is called JD.

And he sure as hell doesn’t seem to like you.


	2. Tiptoeing In Death

You stop in the middle of your bedroom’s entrance when you see one of the stupid jock ghost looking around your room, though you rapidly shake your head and continue your way in like you haven’t seen him. Luckily for you, he seemed to have been too engulfed into looking at some of your sketches on the walls to notice anything, the boy almost like he’s admiring them. 

He jumps up when you open your closet’s door, seeing his head turning towards you from the corner of your eyes. He doesn’t seem to do much more than what he was doing before you came in, but you tense up when you hear a chuckle as soon as you pick out some pajamas. 

“I’m getting a show already? Niiice…”

Feeling more than disgusted, you decide to not do the initial plan of changing in here and instead walk out of the room, clutching the fabric of your pajamas in your right hand while you get towards the bathroom.

“Hey, wait! Where you’re going?” You obviously don’t answer, simply grinding your teeth as you continue your way. “Ooooh, I get it. A shower, huh? Even better!”

‘For fuck sake, how did Veronica managed to get two of these idiots attached to her?’

Sadly, this isn’t the first time one pervy ghost tried to take a peek at your naked body… and so after a lot of research in weird books you’ve found in old libraries and a few tests with the help of Andrew, you found a symbol that can block the passage to a room from a ghost. So… now… there’s a giant symbol drawn onto the bathroom door along with one on the bathroom blinds, which means that you can do your hygienic stuff in peace.

You can’t quite stop the proud smirk gracing your lips when you lock the door behind you, your grin stretching out as soon as you hear the loud complaints from the ghost boy getting muffled by the door.

“What the- Why can’t I get through!? Kurt, I can’t get through!”

“I already told you, Ram. You can’t just try to walk through the door, you have to concentrate-”

“I fucking know that, but it’s not working!”

“Will you two just shut the fuck up!?”

“Mind your own business, Heather!”

Good. Now you know all their names: JD, Kurt, Ram, and Heather. No last names yet, but then again, you almost never learn those. If you wanna know more about why these ghosts are following Veronica around, you must wait for her to share her story with you…

… if she ever wants to share her story with you.

You quickly change in your pajamas while they’re fighting right outside the door, taking the opportunity soon after to brush your teeth in front of the sink. Once you’re finally done, silent enraptured the atmosphere all around, your head slowly turning towards the door.

They’re all gone now… right?

You give out a yawn just as you open the door, having to suppress a scream when you notice JD standing right on the side. He stares at you with it blank white eye, the blood splatter on his head looking worse than before. You blink rapidly and rub your eyes while you pass by him, acting as if you just had a brain freeze because of how tired you are. You don’t even give him a side look; that guy seems to be the smartest of them, you can’t risk giving him any hints that you can see him.

You feel a chill run down your spine when you hear him follow you, feeling his glare piercing through your back as if he wants you to die right there. From what you can tell, JD is a ghost with a lot of suppressed anger in him, using that anger to push anyone who might get close to Veronica away. At least, he’s angry enough to want you to disappear, even though you literally just met her today.

You scream when the phone suddenly starts ringing, putting a hand on your rapidly beating heart to try and calm it once you realize that there’s no danger. You walk towards the phone with JD close to your trails, almost trembling as you pick it up.

“Hello?”

“Honey, hi! How did it go? Has Veronica moved in?” 

You give out a fond smile at the sound of your mother’s voice. “Hi, mom. Yeah, she moved in today. She seems nice.”

“Oh, I’m glad! I was afraid we might have picked someone dangerous to live with you-”

“Well, anyone can be dangerous.” You take a few strands of hair out of your face, watching JD’s reflection in the window in front of you. “Isn’t that what you taught me?

“Yes, yes, you’re right… but she had quite the traumatic history, so I just wondered…”

“Mom, what happened to her is none of my business. You’re not supposed to tell me anything, remember?” 

“Yeah, she’ll tell you if she wants to, I know.” 

You tense up when he approaches his face to yours, probably trying to hear your mother’s voice better. “Mom, it’s late. I’m gonna head to bed. Kiss dad goodnight for me?”

“Of course, sweetheart. Have nice dreams.”

“You too, mom.” 

She hangs up before you, your hand gently putting the handle back to its place before you walk back towards where your room is. Lucky for you, JD doesn’t follow you in and simply watches you from afar with a deathly glare, the boy still looking towards your form even after you close the door behind you.

Tonight might be a long night.

* * *

The next day, you open your eyes to see none other than Andrew’s face right in front of you, the little drowned kid having watched you sleep with wide-opened eyes all night.

“… Hi.”

He blinks a few times, a grin forming onto his lips. “Hi.”

“You know that watching me sleep is extremely creepy, right?”

His grin stretches out. “Huh-huh.”

“I mean, you might be my best friend… but I would like you to not do that in the future.”

He rolls his eyes at you just as you sit up, stretching your arms up in the air while yawning. “Sure… but only once those ghosts will be completely gone. Someone needs to protect you while you’re unconscious.”

You quirk an eyebrow at him after you stand up. “Well, how nice of you.” 

“Complain all you want, but you know I’m right.” He turns around when you walk towards your closet, waiting for you to change. “If those guys know that you can see them, you know you’ll be in danger.”

“I know.” 

“I mean, you remember what happened last time, huh? You almost died-”

“I know.”

“And then we had to seek that old woman to know about a ritual-”

“Andrew… I know.” You send his back of his head a look just as you finish changing, brushing your hair with your hands to try and tie it to a ponytail. “I learned my lesson, we’re not gonna repeat that story again.”

“Of course you won’t, I won’t let you.” He turns around after you finish putting your hair in a ponytail, a frown settled on his face. “Which is why I will stay with you today.”

You stay silent for a while, then give out a sigh. “You know that’s just gonna make them suspicious of me, right?”

“I don’t care.”

“They’re gonna see a drowned ten-year-old boy follow me around all day, they’re gonna wonder if I didn’t kill you or something.”

“Well, they’re gonna see me at some point anyway, I’m linked to you!”

“And they’re linked to her.” He follows you towards your door, giving him one last look before you open. “Okay, look… you can follow me, but no talking to me whatsoever, alright?”

He gives a groan. “… fine.”

A smile soon graces your lips. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

He rolls his eyes just as you open the door, both of you stepping out.

* * *

“You should take your own apartment.”

Veronica ignores JD’s voice in her ear, concentrating on eating her cereal like any normal person would do. She can also hear Heather, Kurt, and Ram fighting a few meters away, the subject not being important enough for her to actually listen. Though it does sound better than hearing her crazy ex-boyfriend’s voice all the time.

“Take. Another. Apartment.”

“I can’t….!” She whispers those words, hoping that it’ll be enough to quiet him. “This is the only place that would take me, okay? So shut it. Don’t make me remind you that this is your fault.”

He quiets down immediately, flashes of his last moments coming back into her head. She shakes them off and takes another scoop of her cereal into her mouth. She doesn’t know you, but you seem nice and, judging by how you’ve been acting, you don’t know anything about her past. Which is a miracle… considering that her town’s deaths have been on the news for months. 

But if it means she can be normal to one person for just a little time, she’ll take it.

“Enjoying my cereal?”

She almost chokes on her food at the sound of your voice, redness creeping into her cheeks when you laugh. She turns shy eyes towards your form just as you prepare your own breakfast: a simple red apple.

“I’m sorry… was I not supposed to?”

“Of course you can eat. What’s mine is yours.” You take a bite out of your Apple, sensing her a cheeky smile that brings a genuine onto her lips. “What are you gonna do today?”

“Oh, well…” She looks down at her bowl for a moment before she gives out a smile. “I was thinking of going on campus. Seeing where my classes are before they start next week.”

Your eyes widen with excitement. “That’s a great idea! Oh, and if you want, I can be your guide.”

“But I don’t wanna bother-”

“Hey, I have nothing to do today, it’ll be my pleasure.” You take another bite of your Apple, raising a finger as you give her a serious look. “One condition though.”

She feels her stomach turn in worry. Maybe you know who she is… are you gonna ask her to not let people know you live together? She wouldn’t blame you if you did.

“Um… what is it?”

Your lips stretch out into a large grin. “No cars. We walk there.”

She can’t help but let out a laugh, her shoulders relaxing from relief. “Well, I don’t mind!”

“Good.” You send her a wink before disappearing into the hallway. “It’s a date. Be ready in an hour.”

She feels her cheeks heat up at the mention of the word ‘date’, even though she knows that you didn’t mean it that way-

“Stop it." 

She tightens her grip on her spoon when she hears his voice. ”… Stop what?“

"Being nice to her. I don’t like it.”

“Well, watch me, then.” She stands up and walks towards the sink, putting her empty bowl in it. “Because I like it. And you have nothing to say in the matter-”

“A drowned kid is linked to her, Ronnie.” Her heart drops into her stomach just as her eyes widen, shocked as to what he just said. “You know what that means, right?”

She doesn’t want to think about it. She doesn’t wanna think you could have killed someone so young, not when you’re this sweet and generous towards her. You have to be a normal and kind girl, not a psychopath. She can’t deal with psychopaths anymore-

“I’m just trying to protect you, Ronnie.”

She breathes in loudly before she lets it out, her hands tightening onto the counter. Can he shut up for just… one second?

“You need to leave this place, Ronnie.”

“Four of you are linked to me, JD.” She grinds her teeth, imagining his face in her head. “I think out of the two, she’s the one who should run away.”

“Those idiots deserved what we did to them-”

“Hey, who you’re calling an idiot?”

“Yeah, who you’re calling?”

“You three! I’m calling you three idiots!”

“Don’t you dare put me in the same basket as those two morons! I’ll have you know that I’m a goddess!”

“Yeah, a super annoying goddess!”

“And we’re not morons! I don’t even know what that means!”

Veronica just gives out a loud groan of annoyance as their voice continues fighting right behind her, internally hoping for the next hour to go quickly.

Spending time with you sounds so good right now.


	3. Deaths Of The Past

“Aaaah, fresh air!” You spiral around on the sidewalk with your arms stretched out, a wide grin on your face. “Isn’t walking so much better than driving?”

Veronica gives out a giggle at your actions, her eyes sweetening as she follows you towards your shared college. “I guess it is.”

You turn your head towards her to give her a genuine smile, trying your best to not let your eyes flicker on the pack of ghosts following her from behind… who also have been complaining ever since you stepped out of the house.

“ _I hate walking!_ ” Heather crosses her arms over her chest, grumbling in upper frustration. “ _I’m dead, I shouldn’t have to walk anymore!_ ”

“ _Like you can talk!_ ” Ram crosses his arms over his chest, sulking towards the ground. “ _Kurt and I aren’t even wearing any clothes!_ ”

“ _Yeah, it’s not like we want all those gorgeous ghost girls to see us naked!_ ”

“ _I’m the most gorgeous around here! And you’re not naked, dummies, you’re wearing underwear!_ ”

“ ** _Just…_** ” JD gives out a groan of exasperation as he snaps his head towards them. “ ** _… shut up!_** ”

Andrew’s hand rapidly takes a hold of your shirt to make sure you’re okay, a pitiful smile coming to your lips as you look at Veronica. It’s clear to you that she can hear them, she wouldn’t give out shrieks or jolt away at random times if she didn’t, and you can’t even imagine how awful it must be to hear them fighting over and over. She doesn’t seem to be able to see them though, if she did, she wouldn’t jump up in surprise when JD speaks up: especially when he has been staring at her for hours before then.

She’s like you… but not quite like you. You’ve only met one person that could hear ghosts just like her before, and that person couldn’t believe that you could see them… let alone-

You shake your head. No, you shouldn’t think about that. What happened… happened, no need to reminiscent it.

“So…” You look back at Veronica when she speaks up, her eyes looking down at her feet shyly. “… um… what have your parents… told you about me?”

You give out a snort. “What have they told you about me?”

“ _You’re kidding, right?_ ” Andrew speaks up for the first time since he’s made himself known to the others, Veronica’s ghosts shutting up and looking at him with wide eyes. “ _They’re over-protectors, they probably told her everything._ ”

“Oh, well…” Veronica blinks a few times, not having heard Andrew speaking. “They... didn’t really tell me anything.”

So she can’t hear Andrew? Is it because he’s not connected to her?

“Same here.” You give her a sweet smile. “The only things I know about you are the things you told me.”

She seems taken aback. “Really?”

“Yep.”

“So you haven’t heard anything about me? From anyone?”

“No… I didn’t.” You frown in worry at her. “Are you okay? You seem stressed out.”

She gives out a wide smile for the first time since you’ve met her, a giggle escaping her throat. “I’m great! This day couldn’t be any better!”

You give out a playful scoff. “Well, then… guess you won’t mind a little race!”

“What-” Her eyes widen when she sees you starting to run, a laugh coming out of her mouth as she follows your actions. “Hey! I wasn’t ready!”

“That’s loser’s talk, Veronica!”

“ _What-no!_ ” Heather gives out a scream as she feels herself getting pulled towards Veronica. “ _Don’t run! I hate running!_ ”

“ ** _You hate everything, Heather!_** ”

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“ ** _I hate all of you._** ”

JD looks up from the café’s table he and the others have been sitting at for a few minutes, sending Heather a hard look. “ ** _The feeling’s mutual._** ”

Andrew stays a few steps away from them, carefully watching you and Veronica talk on another table while you’re drinking the campus’ coffee. He’s never seen you be

“ _Hey, kid!_ ” He jumps up when Kurt suddenly talks to him, his head slowly looking back at the group of ghosts he’s internally scared of. “ _Why do you keep following us?_ ”

“ _Yeah!_ ” Ram squints his eyes at the little ghost. “ _You’re starting to creep me out, dude._ ”

Heather gives out a groan of frustration while JD rolls his eyes. “ _He’s obviously bound to (Y/N), you idiots._ ”

“ _Who?_ ”

“ _Oh my fucking god._ ” Heather holds onto her head, her blue aura deepening. “ _They’re so freaking dumb._ ”

“ _Hey, stop calling us dumb!_ ”

“ _Yeah, it’s not our fault if you never explain anything to us!_ ”

Andrew just gives out a long sigh. “ _I can’t believe I have to live with you all now…_ ”

JD turns his eyes towards him, the little kid tensing up when he notices the white eye moving in an unsettling way. He manages to calm down when he hears you and Veronica laugh behind him, continuing your discussion as if you weren’t constantly followed by a bunch of ghosts.

“ _You died by drowning… didn’t you?_ ”

Andrew gives out a sarcastic scoff, showing his wet hair and clothes. “ _How’d you guess?_ ”

“ ** _Did she kill you?_** ”

The words bring a silence between them, your eyes flickering towards them for a quick moment before you give a hard smile back to Veronica. Andrew slowly gulps in, flashes of what happened so many years ago coming to his life.

“ _No._ ”

JD squints his eyes. “ _… interesting._ ”

“ _Bro, you’re lucky you didn’t get murdered._ ” Kurt crosses his arms over his chair, giving the kid ghost a pout. “ _This guy and Ronnie shot us both out of nowhere._ ”

“ _Oh, boo-hoo, you got shot._ ” Heather sends them a glare. “ _They **poisoned** me!_”

“ _You deserved it._ ” JD continues to stare at Andrew, whose expression rapidly turning to a terrified one. “ _You’re okay there, little guy?_ ”

“ _(Y/N)!_ ” He quirks an eyebrow when Andrew grabs your arm, his head tilting when he notices your eye slightly flinching from the action. “ _(Y/N), you need to kick her out! She’s dangerous!_ ”

You grind your teeth when Andrew starts moving your arm slightly, Veronica frowning in worry at you. “Are you okay? Your arm’s shaking.”

“Y-yeah…” You give out a hard smile. “It’s the coffee, um… I might have drunk too much.”

“ _(Y/N)…_ ” Andrew’s voice becomes more demanding. “ _She killed people!_ ”

You know. You heard them talk, Veronica probably heard them too. She became slightly sadder than usual when they mentioned their death, and that combined with the fact that she has been nothing but sweet since you’ve met, you can’t believe that she could be a cold-blooded murderer. You can just feel that she’s a good person; someone who made huge mistakes in her life and deeply regrets it.

“Oh god…” Veronica takes your hand in hers, trying to find a way to ease you down. “Why did you drink it if it makes you shake? Do we need to go back home?”

“Ah-it’s okay! I can go home by myself.” You stand up and give her a small smile, Andrew giving out a sigh of relief. “You still need to check out where some of your classes are…”

“Yeah, but I can always come back-”

“But you’re here now, so!” You pick up your vest on the chair and put it back on, giving her a wave before leaving. “I’ll be fine, I swear! I gave you your key to the apartment, right?”

“Yeah-”

“Alright, good, see you later!” You lose your smile as soon as you turn around, feeling the eyes of Veronica and her many ghosts onto your back while Andrew follows you close. “ _What did we say about ‘not’ talking to me?_ ”

“ _She killed four people!_ ” You give out a groan as you walk past a few early students towards the exit of the campus, the little boy jumping in front of you so he can give you a terrified look. “ _She could kill you! Hell, that horrifying ghost could kill you!_ ”

“ **Not** if he doesn’t find out about my abilities.” You give him a side glare. “They’re new ghosts, Andrew. It doesn’t seem like they know much about their world yet.”

“ _They know about the bounding._ ”

“Yeah, ‘cause that’s kind of hard to miss.” You bite your bottom lip, looking on each side of the road before you cross it. “You’ve been a ghost for twelve years. And you and I both know that we still have very much to learn.”

He grumbles under his breath, crossing his little arms over his chest as he follows you. “ _And what if one of them becomes a daemonium? What are you gonna do, huh?_ ”

“New ghosts don’t become daemoniums, Andrew.” You give out an awkward smile when one of the trespassers gives you a weird look, waiting for that person to be far away enough before you speak again. “If anything, you have a better chance of becoming one than them.”

“ _Unless one of them is filled with rage… reminds you of anyone?_ ”

JD immediately comes to your mind, but you rapidly shake your head. “I don’t wanna judge.”

“ _Well, you’re gonna need to._ ” He gives you a dark glare. “ _Or else they’re gonna kill you when you least expect it._ ”

You give out a sigh, knowing deep down how’s he right.

\- - - - - - - - - - - -

“I don’t understand…” Veronica frowns as she holds onto her cup of coffee, her ghosts now all spread around her coffee table. “What happened? Why did she leave like that?”

“ _Who knows._ ” Heather looks down at her nails in pure boredom. “ _Maybe she got tired of your loserness._ ”

That doesn’t seem to make her feel better, JD looking away from the horizon where you disappear to set his eyes on his true love.

“ ** _She didn’t kill the kid._** ”

Veronica’s eyes widen for a moment. “Then… why is he bound to her?”

That’s one of the questions he’s asking himself.

But the more important one is… can you see them?


	4. Coyotes in the Dark

“ _We should paint the protecting symbol on your door.”_

You give out a sigh as soon as you hear Andrew’s words, waiting for him to walk into the apartment before you close the door behind you. “I’m not painting any symbols anywhere.”

“ _What?_ ” He snaps his head at you, droplets of water falling against the floor and disappearing a few seconds later. “ _If you’re not gonna kick that Veronica out, you should at least protect yourself!_ ”

“If I put a symbol on my door, they're gonna notice that they can’t go in there.” You walk past him towards the kitchen, kicking off your boots on your way there. “And you won’t be able to go in there either.”

“ _You put a symbol on the bathroom door.”_ You don’t even react when his head suddenly pops up from the sink’s drain; his eyes looking at you when you reach for a nearby glass on the counter. “ _You don’t think they’re gonna be suspicious of that? Might as well add more protection-Ah!”_

He screams when you suddenly open the faucet, water spreading through his ghostly head and making him scream from the weird sensation it gives him. You wait for him to finally disappear before you give yourself a glass of water, hearing him complain behind you while you take a few sips.

“They already noticed that they can’t access the bathroom. Taking it off will only raise more suspicions, and it’s not like they’ll notice the symbol. It’s hidden under the towel rack inside, remember?” You finish drinking your glass of water, then put it on the counter. “Besides, do you really want one of them to see me in the shower?”

You can hear him give out a squeaky noise, your eyes turning towards him to see a look of pure despair on his face mixed with an embarrassed blush. You give out a small smirk at that, a chuckle escaping your throat right when you flick his forehead.

“ _He_ y _!”_ He screams in frustration as soon as you do that, his hands wiping some water off his forehead. “ _What was that for?”_

“You worry too much about me.” He gives out a pout as he looks down at his feet, the little ghost boy having always been around to protect you ever since he died. “I’ll be fine, Andrew. They don’t know enough about the ghost world to realize how much of a danger they can be to me.”

“ _But still…”_ Andrew gives you a worried look, biting onto his bottom lip as memories flash into his head. _“… that JD ghost is smarter… what if he realizes your potential?”_

“He won’t. I promise.” You know he doesn’t believe you simply by the look he’s giving you, which only seems to increase your smile. “And I have you here with me! The best guardian angel I could ask for!”

He gives out a snort at your words, the little ghost now shaking is head and making more water fall on the floor. “ _You’re an idiot…”_

You don’t have time to think of a reply that a loud groan is suddenly being heard from the hallway; the hair on your arms raising along with the rapidity of your heartbeat. Andrew’s face contorts itself into an expression of pure fear just as you both look towards the sound. A scream escapes your lips as soon as you notice a dripping gray hand slowly moving out from the hallway and grasping the corner of the wall, but it’s the decaying face that follows the hand that makes you take a step back; its black eyes and melting gray skin are enough of a threat to make Andrew step in front of you.

A daemonium got into your house.

And you might not be able to survive it.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Let’s see…” Veronica mumbles under her breath as she walks through a large number of hallways, her eyes looking back and forth between a small piece of paper and all the classrooms’ doors around her. “Only one more class to find…”

“ _Uuuugh…!_ ” Ram’s the one to let out that word filled with pure frustration, making the live girl tense up. “ _Why do you even need to find your classes so early? This is boring!_ ”

“ _I hate agreeing with these idiots,_ ” Heather speaks through her teeth, her arms crossed over her chest as she gives them a side look. “ _But they’re right. This is way too boring, Ronnie._ ”

“ _Maybe not…_ ” The two ghosts give Kurt a surprised look, the not-so naked jock giving out a smirk as he looks towards another direction. “ _Things could get interesting._ ”

They turn their head to follow his gaze, Heather already rolling her eyes when she spots a dead girl following some teacher around, though Ram immediately gives out a loud noise of agreement.

“ _Yo, dude! Great eyes! That girl’s hot!_ ”

“ _I know, right?_ ”

“ _You guys are absolute pigs._ ”

“ _Will you shut up already?_ ” JD snaps his head at all of them, making them all send back a dark glare. “ _I can’t concentrate if you keep screaming!_ ”

Veronica shakes her head to try and ignore them, having a hard time continuing to find her classes with them constantly complaining around her. Sadly for her, Heather doesn’t quite like to be boss around, especially not by JD.

“ _What? Still thinking about that (Y/N) girl?_ ” She gives out a smirk when she notices the anger flash in his eyes, his white one always empty; his emotion only seems to increase when she points her red nailed finger at his face. “ _Are you scared that scared of losing Ronnie’s attention?_ ”

Veronica feels her cheek warming up at that comment, but she doesn’t quite know why. You were her roommate, possibly a very good friend (she hopes so at least), so why does Heather is making it sound like you might become something more eventually?

And why isn’t she opposed to that idea?

JD looks away from Heather to set his eyes on the live girl, his white eye twitching when he notices the blush on her face. He would lie if he said that he didn’t hate you mostly because of your effect on her… but something about you is also off. Very off. And he doesn’t trust you one bit.

There’s no way you can be so nice and innocent; you must be evil in some way, why else would a ghost follow you around? You may not have killed a kid, but you were surely responsible for that ghost’s death. That’s the only reason why a ghost is bound to someone and not a place.

He’s gonna expose you for who you are no matter what.

“ _No comment?_ ” He groans when he hears the pride in Heather’s voice, the blond giving out a chuckle. “ _Would you look at that? JD is jealous!_ ”

“ _Shut up._ ”

She only chuckles even more while the two idiots watch and mumble in pure confusion, making the killer boy grind his teeth. He can’t believe that he now has to spend _every_ single second of his afterlife with those three; either until Veronica dies or they start disappearing. He doesn’t really know, but god… he can’t help but wish they would all just go away. That way he can be alone with Ronnie forever.

Doesn’t that sound nice?

“Um, excuse me?” Veronica’s head snaps towards the voice that called out for her, her shoulders relaxing with relief when she notices that it’s another student. “You seem stressed out… are you lost?”

JD squints his eyes at the girl, feeling a sense of some sort of danger from her. She somehow reminds him of Heather; even though her red hair, green eyes, and freckles make her very different from the blond victim.

Still. Ronnie should be careful.

“Ah! Not really.” Veronica gives her a smile. “I’m just looking for my classes in advance, but I can’t seem to find my last one.”

“Oh! Maybe I can help you.” The girl takes the paper from Veronica’s hands without asking, making the live girl’s ghosts narrow their eyes at her. “Ah, I see! It’s not too far from here, I can walk you there if you want.”

“That would be great!” Veronica gives her a smile, making a movement to take her paper back, only for the girl to start walking away.

“ _She’s a bitch._ ” Heather squints her eyes at the girl, her arms still crossed over her chest. “ _I can tell._ ”

JD knows she’s right. Heather might be annoying, but she’s not an idiot… and her instincts are good enough for him to take them into consideration.

Especially when she makes his own assumptions right.

“Um…” The blue girl shakes her head and follows the red-haired girl, a little nervous now. “My name’s Veronica.”

“I’m Chloe.” The red-haired girl doesn’t even bat her eyes as she says her name, though she seems to realize something and turns a sweet smile towards Veronica. “I saw you earlier with (Y/N).”

“Oh…?” Veronica seems taken aback by that, having not noticed that someone was watching them. “Well-”

“I’m sorry she suddenly abandoned you.” Chloe’s smile suddenly seems pitiful, the girl’s eyes eying Veronica with a sad gleam in them. “It’s kind of her thing. Don’t take it personally if she didn’t want to help you.”

“Oh, it’s not that.” The red-haired girl seems taken aback by Veronica’s words, JD listening to the conversation very closely. “She came with me to help but needed to go home last minute.”

“She _came_ with you?” Chloe frowns, then gives Veronica a weird look. “You didn’t meet her here?”

“No, um…” Veronica doesn’t quite know how to answer, getting weird vibes from the red-haired girl now. “I’m her new roommate.”

Chloe suddenly comes to a stop, almost making Veronica bump into her. It takes a few seconds before the green-eyed girl gives out a dark chuckle,.

“ ** _So you’re the freak’s roommate?_** ”

JD quirks an eyebrow at that. ‘Freak’, huh? Either he was right about you or that girl is as horrible as Heather was when they were in high school.

“What did you say?”

Chloe jumps up at Veronica’s words, then gives her a smile. “Ah! Sorry… your class is right there.”

She points towards a door next to the blue girl just as she gives the paper back, Veronica unconsciously grasping it as she looks at the number. She gives out a smile of relief when she notices that it’s the right class, then turns towards the red-haired girl.

“Thank you-”

She stops when she notices that she’s no longer there, confusion spreading inside her mind.

“ _Don’t make that dumb face, Ronnie._ ” She tenses up when she hears Heather’s voice, the ghosts all looking towards an exit where Chloe disappeared. “ _You know that girl was using you._ ”

“Why would she use me?”

“ _To get information about (Y/N)._ ” JD’s the one to speak up, his head tilted as he looks at the door. “ _The question is… ‘why’?_ ”

“ _Who cares?_ ” Ram starts to whine again, shaking his head with a pout. “ _Let’s go home already! I’m bored!_ ”

“ _Me too._ ” Kurt gives out a sigh of disappointment. “ _The hot ghost is gone._ ”

“ _Are you guys really stupid enough that you did not notice anything that just happened?!_ ”

Veronica just gives out a sigh as everyone starts to argue once again, her fingers tightening their grip on her paper.

What’s your history with that Chloe girl? Why is there a ghost child following you?

She shakes her head. No. She has no right to judge you for anything that you might have done. She’s sure that her secrets are darker than yours.

There’s no way someone like you could be horrible… right?

\- - - - - - - - - - - -

You give out a loud sigh as soon as you manage to close shut the recipient you used to conceal the daemonium inside, remembering earlier the bit you’ve read in a book about sealing them away just in time. Andrew barely managed to fight it off while you were preparing the recipient, the kitchen chairs and the table now thrown aside around the room. Luckily, nothing else was thrown or broke down. All you have to do is replace everything to its place before Veronica comes back, and you also need to find a place to hide this little daemonium so that it doesn’t accidentally get freed.

“My god! What happened?”

You turn around to see Veronica standing at the entrance of the apartment, the four ghosts always following her now looking behind her shoulder with curiosity. You can’t help but hide the recipient behind your back upon seeing her, a blush of embarrassment and fear appearing on your face.

“Um… well…” You look at Andrew from the corner of your eyes, the little ghost now looking at his new roommates with pure panic. “I… um… tripped.”

“You tripped?” Veronica continues to stare at the table and the chairs all tipped over, then looks at you standing beside them without a scratch. “Really?”

“Multiple times.” You give out an awkward chuckle, one of your hands letting go of the recipient so you can point at yourself. “I’m clumsy!”

Andrew looks at you, his words coming out through his teeth. “ _You seriously don’t think she’s gonna believe that?_ ”

Judging by the weird look she’s giving you… no. No, she’s not gonna believe you.

But you have to hide the recipient before she sees it.

“Why are you not hurt?”

“You know what? My back does hurt a little…” You take a step back towards the hallway, thinking that your only option is to run to your room. “I’m gonna go lay down. Can we talk later?”

Veronica blinks a few times. “Um… sure-”

She doesn’t have time to say anything else that you’re already gone into the hallway, her confusion only increasing with each second. It doesn’t take long for her to close the entrance door a few seconds later, Kurt and Ram already giggling amongst themselves.

“ _Bro, you know what we should do?_ ”

“ _Go watch her sleep?_ ”

“ _Hell yeah! Definitely!_ ”

Andrew gives them a hard glare, already positioning himself in front of the hallway to block them. “ _I don’t think so._ ”

“ _Aw, dude, not fair!_ ”

Heather gives out a scoff, the girl already walking towards the kitchen alongside with Veronica. She kicks one of the chairs, watching her feet go through the material without any care in the world.

“ _Are we gonna talk about that obvious lie?_ ”

“I’m sure she had her reasons.” Veronica simply starts to put the table at its rightful place with difficulty, giving out a sigh when she’s done. “Maybe she did trip or something.”

“ _Multiple times? I doubt it._ ” Heather rolls her eyes, then lets them on Andrew still blocking the way for Kurt and Ram. “ _Hey, kid! Why did she lie?_ ”

Veronica looks around the empty with confusion, her eyes soon lightening up when she realizes that they must be talking to the kid that’s been following you. Andrew simply snaps his head towards Heater, certain darkness lingering in his eyes.

“ _Trust me._ ” He shakes his head, almost shivering at the thought of the daemonium. “ _You don’t want to know._ ”

“ _I do._ ” JD’s voice makes Kurt and Ram squeal, the two boys stepping away as soon as the killer ghost arrives in front of Andrew. “ _So how about you just tell me?_ ”

Your ghost friend stares at him for a long while, thoughts running through his head faster than the light. That much JD can tell by all the emotions passing through the kid’s eyes.

“ _Sorry._ ” Andrew gives him a smirk, then slowly steps back into the hallway. “ _I don’t help newbies._ ”

It’s the last thing he says before he melts down into the floor, leaving JD with a frustrated feeling swirling inside his stomach.

Looks like he’ll have to force the information out of him.

And it’s not gonna be pleasant for anyone.


End file.
